Picking device.



No. 769,519. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. W. 'R. VERSTRAELEN & G. ALTER.

PIGKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED my 12, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

No. 769,519. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1 904.

W. R. VERSTRAELEN & G. ALTER.

PICKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1904.

NO MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

WILLIAM R. VERSTRAELEN AND CHRISTIAN ALTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PICKING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,519, datedSeptember 6, 1904. Application filed May 12, 1904. Serial No. 207,562.(No model.)

To (tZZ whom it nutg concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAMRVERSTRAE- LEN and CHRISTIAN ALTER, bothcitizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York,borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Picking Device, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to self-playing zitherssuch, for instance, asshown and described in the application for Letters Patent'of the UnitedStates, Serial No. 171,752, filed by us September 3, 1903.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pickingdevice arranged to insure picking of the proper strings as called for bythe notation of the note-sheet and to insure full and harmonioussounding of the strings and prevent injury to the same by moving thepicks easily and softly in and out of engagement with the stringsapproximately the same as when the strings are picked by hand.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointedout in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the improvement as applied to aself-playing Zither above referred to, the pick-bar being in one endposition. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same, showing the pick-bar in theother end position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 4 isan enlarged sectional plan view of the improvement, and Fig. 5 is atransverse section of the same.

The picking device is shown applied to a self-playing zither, preferablyof the construction shown and described in the application abovereferred to, and the said self-playing zither is mounted on a stand orframe A, supporting a vertically-disposed Zither or similar stringedmusical instrument B, having the usual strings B stretched over aresonating-body B and adapted to be picked by the picking device. Thelatter is provided with a pick bar or frame C, extending transversely ofthe strings B, in front of the same, and on the top of the said pick-barC are secured or formed transversely-extending tubular bearings C, inwhich are mounted to slide pickers C in the form of rods, carrying attheir inner ends the flexible terminals C made of hard rubber or othersuitable material and adapted to engage the strings B to sound the same,as hereinafter more fully explained.

Each of the picks C is held in an outermost position by the action of aspring D, secured at one end to the pick-bar (J and engaging with itsfree end a notch G, formed in the pick, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1.The free end of each spring D normally rests against a felted stop E,secured to the rear face of the pick-bar C, to deaden the sound of thefree end of the spring when moving into its normal positionthat is,against the stop E. The forwardend of each pick (1 is formed with a slotG", into which projects one arm of a bell-crank lever F, fulcrumed onthe pickbar C and connected at its other arm by a link G with a movablepart of a pneumatic connected with an action wind-chest, so that whenthis pneumatic is collapsed then a swinging motion is given by thecorresponding link G to the bell-crank lever F to impart a transversesliding motion to the pick U for bringing the terminal C" alongside thecorrespond ing string B to insure subsequent sounding thereof on givinga rocking motion to the pick-bar G, as hereinafter more fully described.On the outer threaded end of each pick C screws an adjusting-nut H,having a soft-leather or felt washer H, adapted to abut against theouter end of the bearing C to limit the inward sliding motion of thepickbar when the latter is caused to slide in this direction by thebell-crank lever F, as above explained. It is understood that as soon asthe pneumatic for a link G is allowed to expand then the spring Dimmediately returns the pick (1 and bell-crank lever F to their normaloutermost positions.

A swinging motion in a horizental plane is given to the pick-bar C, andfor this purpose the ends of the pick-bar are mounted on the crank-pins1 and 1 of crank-disks I and 1 secured on the upper ends of rock-shafts1 and 1 disposed vertically and journaled in suitable bearings carriedon brackets J, attached to the main stand A. The crank-pins 1 and 1 arepivotally connected by links K and K with'pneumatics L and L, adapted toalternately collapse and open, so as to impart a rocking motion to thecrank-shafts 1* and 1 and disks 1 and 1 for the crank-pins 1 and 1 toimpart the desired swinging motion to the pick-bar G. Normally thepick-bar C stands in either end position, (indicated in Figs. 1 and 2,)and in case a swinging motion is given to the pick-bar, as abovedescribed, without the bell-crank lever F being pressed then theterminals do not engage the strings B, and only when a bell-crank leverF is actuated and the pick C is moved rearwardly and a swinging motionis given to the bar C then the corresponding terminal of the pick, movedinto a rearmost position picks its string. If a number of bell-cranklevers are actuated and a swinging motion is given to the bar C, thenthe corresponding strings of the pressed picks are actuatedsimultaneously during the rocking of the pick-bar (3 from one of its endpositions to the other. hen the pick-bar C rocks from the right to theleft or from the left to the right, the terminal 0 of each particularpick only engages its own string and no other.

4 In order to insure a uniform motion of the rock-shafts 1 and 1", thelatter are provided With pulleys N and N, connected with each other by aband N so that the rocking motion given to one shaft by its pneumatic Lor L is transmitted to the other rock-shaft in case the latterspneumatic does not act properly. In order to hold the connectedrockshafts 1 and 1 and the pick-bar C and parts carried thereon ineither of their two end positions, a link O is provided, pivotallyconnected with the pulley N and with the free end of a spring 0,attached to a bracket 0 secured on the stand A.

It is understood that in self-playing zithers of the class abovementioned a note-sheet is employed having note-apertures for controllingthe pneumatic employed to actuate the picks C by the intermediatemechanism described, and the said note-sheet is additionally providedwith rows of staggered apertures for controlling valved wind-chestsconnected by tubes L and L with the pneumaties L and L, so as toalternately deflate and inflate the same for the pneumaties L and L toimpart an intermittent swinging motion to the bar 0 at the time thecorresponding picks C are pushed into a rearmost position by the actionof the levers F, links G, and their corresponding pneumaties.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the terminals of the picks whichare not pushed rearwardly by their levers F, do not l l l touch orengage their strings during the swinging of the pick-bars G, and onlythose strings B are sounded which have their picks C pressed into arearmost position, so that the music produced corresponds to thenotation of the note-sheet.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. A picking device comprising a pick-bar,means for intermittently rocking the pickbar in a plane at an angle tothe strings to be picked, and picks mounted to slide on the pick-bar andat right angles to the direction of movement of the pick-bar.

2. A picking device comprising a pick-bar, means for intermittentlyrocking the pickbar in a plane at an angle to the strings to be picked,and picks mounted to slide on the pick-bar and at right angles to thedirection of movement of the pick-bar, each pick having a flexibleterminal arranged to engage a string at the time the pick is pressed andthe pick-bar is rocked.

8. A picking device comprising a pick-bar, means for intermittentlyrocking the pickbar in'a plane at an angle to the strings to be picked,picks mounted to slide on the pickbar and at right angles to thedirection of movement of the pick-bar, each pick having a flexibleterminal arranged to engage a string at the time the pick is pressed andthe pickbar is rocked, and means for holding the pickbar in either endposition.

4. A picking device comprising a pick bar, picks mounted to slidetransversely on the said pick-bar, springs for holding the picksnormally in an inactive position relative to the strings, means forpressing the picks accordingv to the music to be produced, and rockingmeans for imparting an intermittent rocking motion to the pick-bar andin a direction transverse to that in which the picks are movable.

5. A picking device comprising a pick-bar, picks mounted to slidetransversely on the said pick-bar, springsi'or holding the picksnormally in an inactive position relative to the strings, means forpressing the picks according to the music to be produced, and rockingmeans for imparting an intermittent rocking motion to the pick-bar andin a direction transverse to that in which the picks are movable, thesaid rocking means comprising crankdisks having crank-pins engaging thesaid pick-bar, pneumaties and links connecting the crank-disks with thesaid pneumaties.

6. A picking device comprising a pick-bar mounted to rock and havingtransversely-extending tubular hearings on its top, picks mounted toslide in the said bearings, means for imparting movement to the picks,and adjusting devices on the picks and arranged to engage the ends ofthe bearings, to limit the sliding motion of the picks.

7. A picking device comprising a pick-bar mounted to rock and havingbearings, picks mounted to slide in the said bearings, means forimparting movement to the picks, and adjusting devices on the picks, tolimit the sliding motion thereof, the adjusting devices being in theform of nuts screwing on the picks and adapted to abut against thebearings on the pick-bar.

8. A picking device comprising a pick-bar mounted at its ends to swingin a horizontal plane, means for intermittently swinging the said bar,picks mounted to slide in bearings on the pick-bar and each having aflexible terminal, means for normally holding the picks in an inactiveposition, and means for moving the picks according to the music to beproduced.

9. A picking device comprising a pick-bar, picks mounted to slidetransversely on the said pick-bar, means for imparting movement to thepicks, and means for rocking the pick-bar, the said means comprisingvertically-disposed rock-shafts, crank-disks on said shafts and providedwith crank-pins on which the ends of the pick-bar are mounted,pneumatics and links connecting the pneumatics with the crank-pins.

10. A picking device comprising a pick-bar mounted to rock and havingtransversely-extending bearings, picks mounted to slide in said bearingsand each provided with a notch, springs secured at one end to thepick-bar and engaging with their free ends the notches in the picks, thepicks being each provided with a slot in its forward end, means forimparting movement to the picks and including bellcrank levers engagingthe slots in the picks, and means for limiting the sliding motion of thepicks.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM R. VERSTRAELEN. CHRISTIAN ALTER. Witnesses:

ALBERT FREY, THOMAS GLEASON.

